Various methods and equipment have been proposed and/or used for applying liquid nutrients, such as liquid manure, to large fields before crops are planted or soon after planting, and some of the equipment commonly uses an elongated flexible and hard drag nose which is wound onto a large spool or reel. The inlet of the drag hose receives the liquid manure from a supply line connected to a pump which receives the liquid from a supply source such as a pond or tank or a tank on a vehicle. The outlet of the hose is connected to a combined tool bar and applicator which is carried or pulled into the field by a vehicle such as a farm tractor. The reel with the wound hose may be carried by a trailer pulled by the tractor, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,907,925 and 7,744,012. It is also known to pull the hose from a supply reel located at an end or middle of the field and back and forth across the field by the tractor and applicator soon after a crop is planted, for example, as disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 6,427,612 and 8,256,692.
It has been determined that the best time for applying liquid manure or liquid nutrients to a field used for growing row crops is after the crops have begun to grow but before they go through the process of using the majority of nutrients they use, for example, after parallel rows of corn have grown over one or two feet. This keeps the nutrients within the liquid from reaching or flowing or leaking into adjacent streams, rivers or lakes. It is also highly desirable to apply the liquid nutrients efficiently without significantly compacting the soil which results when a large reel wound with a drag hose is carried by a trailer pulled into a held while the liquid is being pumped through the hose or as a result of pulling or transporting a large tank filled with liquid nutrients through the field with a tractor. For example, when a reel having an extended length of drag hose, for example, over 2,000 feet, is filled with the liquid, the combined weight of the reel, drag hose, liquid and trailer is substantial and significantly compacts the soil in the field and can damage the crops, including the end crop rows in the field when the equipment turns to apply the liquid to another group or plurality of crop rows.